Yuri on Ice

Yuri on Ice is a masterpiece. Love, friendship, rivalry, believing in yourself and never giving up on your dreams are some of this anime's major themes.

Being a competitor on one of the largest stages in the world is tough; 23-year-old Yuri Katsuki finds this out as he competes in the Grand Prix final for men's single figure skating.

His emotions spill out as he places last in the Grand Prix finals. Overcome by disappointment, he is blinded by his failure and wonders if his career on the ice has come to an end.

He contemplates giving up on his long time dream of participating in the Grand Prix finals, even declining to take a picture with his much-admired idol Victor Nikikov; a Russian skater, and 5-time champion at the Grand Prix men's single figure skating competition.

Thus, Yuri returns to Japan down trodden, as his supportive family try to get him back on his feet. 

Over time, however, Yuri finds out that nothing could keep him away from his first love; the ice.

In an attempt to revive his spirits, he skates a particularly passionate programme from his idol, Victor Nikikov. So happens, the video of his skating is leaked and goes viral.

Even his idol, Victor Nikikov sees the awe-inspiring video. He immediately goes to see Yuri, declaring that he would be his coach as he aims once more for the Grand Prix final, which only 6 of the world's most elite skaters qualify to participate in.

The idea of competition and the congregating of cultures was also apparent in this anime. Surely Yuri was not short of rivalry for the gold medal in the Grand Prix final.

Yuri was also under pressure for stealing the five-time world champion, Victor Nikikov, from the competitive arena, and making him his personal coach.

This anime focuses on Yuri and the hurdles he must overcome to climb back to the top of his career in the skating arena. It also highlights Yuri's determination as he tries to prove to himself, and everyone else, that even the bottomless pit of failure cannot stop someone from chasing their wildest dreams and making them a reality. 

It is a story of revival and chasing your dreams to the ends of the world.

There was a bit of a boy love aspect to it though, which added a bit of awkwardness, but nevertheless charm, to the series.

Yuri on Ice is one of those anime that leaves you feeling something, although I think that if they had spent more time giving insights into each character's past and hurdles, it would have added more of an emotional depth to this anime that could have helped season the story line and made the character's even more lovable and relatable.

All the same, I was very impressed at the amount of precision and detail placed in the drawing of this anime, and the amount of intricacies they were able to accomplish in order to bring them to life.

Certainly, watch this anime if you need to be reminded to never give up on your dreams, or if you just want to learn more about the chilly world of figure skating. You won't be disappointed!

Haikyuu!

Are you feeling like cheering for someone? Then Haikyuu is the anime for you!



It is from the sport genre, and this one is about volleyball. Even if you know nothing about volleyball or you're not a fan, I can guarantee that after watching this anime, you will be one of Haikyuu's biggest fans!



Its fast-paced, action packed fun, is sure to pull you directly into this world of tosses, spikes and blocks !



Hinata Shoyo was super excited about his first and last volleyball match at his junior high school. While his height seemed to be unfit for the sport, Hinata was determined to win his match. Since he was the only player in the volleyball club, he scrapes up a team, comprising of members of the football and basketball teams.



The team they played against, unsurprisingly, beats them in the match. In spite of this, Hinata marks the genius setter Kageyama Tobio, also known as, "The King," of the opposing team, as his rival and he promises to beat him one day.

Hinata enters into high school with high hopes of becoming the Ace of the Karasuno volleyball team and prove to the conceited Kageyama that he is a force to be reckoned with. There was only one problem, Kageyama Tobio was also joining the team! 



Thus begins this comedic and action-packed anime, highlighting the Karasuno boys volleyball team, as they work hard to rise to the top of their prefecture.

This team is hard to not like, and their volleyball matches and strong will, certainly pulls you into this anime. Not to mention their, somewhat dysfunctional relationships! In spite of their differences however, they made a pretty good team on the court.



All in all, teamwork is a big theme in this anime, and working-hard for what you want. 

Tactic and leadership skills are also highlighted. 



It was also nice to watch them as they faced bigger and better rivals. Their ever evolving tactics and teamwork kept both their fans and adversaries on edge.



The individual characters were very easy to fall in love with and relate to; the boys as well as their trainers and managers, and not only those of the Karasuno volleyball team. 

Each team, in this series, came with their own cast of interesting and charismatic characters who, in turn, brought something new and exciting to spice up this series.

It was easy to see how each character helped to push the other to live up to their greatest potential, and fight until the very end.



Of course, there was a lot of fun and comedy in it as well, and that made it all the more fun to watch!



It may not seem that way at first glance, but this anime is full of surprises and fun. No wonder there are 4 seasons and counting! However, they ended the 4th season within a tournament which I didn't love. 



I was very excited for each and every episode of this anime. 

The team's passion and drive for the sport really had me cheering for them every step of their goal. The matches were also well thought out, but whether victory or failure, they really proved that their team was not to be taken lightly!

This is definitely an anime to get pumped up about.

In the end, will Karasuno's team make it to the top? Watch Haikyuu today and find out for yourself.

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru

  
After watching Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu, I got all fired up about sport anime so I tried this one next, and oh my, if only words could describe the feeling I had watching Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru!



Even if you've never watched a sport type anime in your life before, or you're looking for a new one to watch, I highly recommend this one. It was just, awe inspiring!

This anime was quite the emotional joyride; the smiles, the tears, the cheering them on! I was literally talking to my screen during this anime, and praying that they would make it, that's how much it pulled me in.

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu, or Run with the Wind, at first made me wonder if I would stick to the series, but honestly, it took, probably only hours, to finish this series. 
Just yesterday I finished Tsurune; that one was 13 episodes, and I took probably 3 days! 
I started this one yesterday, there were 23 episodes, and I'm done.

This anime was breathtaking, no pun intended. Honestly, it really is an anime that keeps you at the edge of your seat! The characters were so easy to fall in love with, the story-line was so well thought out and relatable, even if you're brand new to competitive running, you're sure to find some piece of yourself in this anime series.

It all begins as Haiji Kiose, recruits Kakeru Kuruhara, when he sees him running away, after he stole some food from a grocery. Haiji, immediately follows the swift Kuruhara on his bike and asks him the following; "You like running?" Haiji then invites him to the Chikuse-so dorm where he and 8 others lived.



Turned out Chikuse-so was a dorm for the athletic team of their university, and Kuruhara was the lucky 10th member Kaiji was waiting for! He needed 10 runners in order to have the bare minimum to run in the prestigious Hakone Ekiden.  



There begins the building of this awkward, but determined team of runners. Of course, none of them were on board at first, since none of them even knew that Chikuse-so was a dorm for the athletic club.



It took a while to get them all on board, but eventually they begin preparing to enter the Hakone Ekiden.
It was quite interesting to watch them battling their weaknesses and their coming together as a team, although most of them were amateurs, in order to accomplish one common goal.

Honestly, I felt so in tune with the characters, I felt like I was running myself. There was fun and laughter, sorrow and tears. Each character having their own lives and their own reasons for running.
It really was a great series.



There were lots of  encouraging moments as well and while I won't share them, I can say that the story that these 10 young men shared, was the story of a lifetime. Definitely watch it if you need some motivation or if you just want to feel something. You won't regret it! 

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu

This anime really beat my expectations. 
Themes like teamwork and friendship were explored in this anime and it's slice of life aspect made it very relatable.

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudouby, is an anime about Kyudo; the Japanese martial art of archery. It follows the story of Narumiya Minato, a teenager, with target panic, and his journey in overcoming his fear and returning to competitive Kyudo.

Tsurune is the sound the string makes when an arrow is fired. Narumiya Minato first falls in love with Kyudo when he hears this sound as a child. However, after his mother's death, he develops target panic, where he loses his composure as he releases his arrow. 

His friends Takihaya Seiya and Yamanouchi Ryouhei encourages him, but it was when he saw the passionate and beautiful shots taken by Takigawa Masaki, that he decides to join the Kyudo club at his new high school. 

It was really a beautiful anime, full of laughter and banter, but all in all inspiring. It really is an anime that teaches that it is not about winning or losing, it's about playing the game.
Lucky for Minato, his Kyudo club had a coach who he could relate with.

The characters each had different personalities, and this made the anime all the more enjoyable as these five, very different boys, try to become a team.

Will Narumiya Minato ever overcome his target panic and how many lives would he affect along the way? Cheer on the Kazemai Kyudo club and find out for yourself!